Faithfully
by Snikee
Summary: Cool, calculating and sometimes downright frightening miss Nico Robin from New World publishing gets her world knocked upside down upon meeting an aspiring sculptor and secretly homeless man who teaches her just how super life can be. 1980's, beginning of spring in the city...
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

**She meets an odd man on the first day of spring...**

**(Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, but I think we all know that)**

* * *

"But he won't answer my calls. Like I've left him like 8 messages today alone… Yeah… YES. Exactly!"

She sipped her coffee in silence, unhappily witnessing yet another fit of paranoia coming from this woman on the bus. A woman who could actually manage to afford and have the patience to carry around that lump of plastic called a cellular phone, and yet here she was yammering away about nothing but purely trivial matters. If Robin remembered correctly, which was almost always the case, the story went as followed: About a week ago, this young lady had spent the night with the most beautiful subspecies of man who had ever walked this planet, this little fact is completely based on the young lady's loud and obnoxious description of this man. And come morning, she was utterly shocked that he had hurried off making excuses and promises to call again. Of course he made no attempt to contact her after their "hot hot hot" encounter, otherwise she would not be discussing this matter loudly on the bus with her close friend "Becky".

The entire bus now knows every personal, vulgar and raunchy detail of her little adventure. It was almost as if she had intended for everyone to know that she was capable of landing such a catch. This was completely absurd in Robin's opinion. There is a limit to how much information you ought to make public knowledge. Not that Robin was in a position to be judging right now, the many Gods in this world know how many similar adventures she had had herself, but it should never be broadcasted to this extent in her opinion. It is also worth mentioning that whenever a handsome young man walked into the bus she would, interestingly enough, get exponentially louder and more talkative.

"Fufufufu" She allowed herself a giggle as she pressed the 'stop' button, the small light in the corner of the bus lighting up.

The woman on the phone gave her a look as she collected her things, coffee cup in hand. She pretended not to see, but she did. All the dirty looks, all the hushed whispers, all of the secrets, all the hurtful and cruel things, she always noticed it all. And as predicted, she heard the beginnings of some nasty comments about herself coming from the woman on the phone as she walked out of the bus. She pretended not to mind, yet again. Sometimes she felt deep down as if she had been born onto this earth with an unpleasant aura of such an extent that made people not sympathize with her. But it did not matter. She had really true friends now and she was clinging onto them for dear life.

With a few more blocks left before she arrived at her office, she took a sip of her lukewarm coffee cup and frowned when she realized it was almost empty. The first stop was going to be the coffee shop around the corner for her third cup of the morning. It was then that she finally let herself feel the rays of the sun touch the skin of her palm. Then she felt it on her neck and cheeks. The warmth of the sun helped lift the veil of darkness that clouded her previous thoughts.

_I suppose winter really is over now…_

She smiled, thinking of all the flowers that will now get a chance to bloom and started mapping out her future flower garden. The one delight she could completely lose herself in, if only for a few hours at a time. The flower shows would also start soon… Time to take her old camera back out of the closet.

She decided that now winter was over she would do the world a favor and forego her third cup and head straight for the office. With a small smile she made a complete one-eighty and headed towards the hideous red building commonly known as New World publishing offices, feeling as if the entire world was waking up from a deep hibernation and the potential she felt was making her feel hopeful as well. She didn't know what she was hopeful for, but regardless of that it was still there. The only time of year she would allow herself that… Hope.

As she rounded the corner that lead to the building plaza, she spotted many pigeons gathering in the square, the pavement underneath them was littered with what she could only assume was bird feed. In the distance she could hear music coming from a small radio that looked it had had quite the hard life and a large man was not so discretely humming along to the song as he threw a fist full of seed into the air. Now that she could get a better look at him, he was also shamelessly dancing among the scattering pigeons trying to eat.

_**It's gonna take a lot to take me away from you, there's nothing a hundred men or more could ever do. I bless the rains down in Africa… **_

_**I bless the rains down in Africa, I bless the rains down in Africa…**__**  
I bless the rains down in Africa…**__**  
Gonna take some time to do the things we never have…**_

As she came closer to the very **very** secure man in front of her, she noticed a few things. For one, he had at least two tattoo's, one blue star on each arm, and that he was not afraid to wear those shorts and open toed flip flops in public. She could understand that it was no longer winter, but usually there's still a small time interval where normal people would still put on layers out of respect. But it looked like he was welcoming the summer already. She had to be honest, she was quite amused…

"Aaawhh baby! I spy with my little eye… a bee-yu-ti-ful lady right in front of me! Guuuuud morning sunshine! It's a suu-uuper morning isn't it?"

Instead of giving him an answer she just looked at him, expressionlessly. They stayed in silence for a moment, just long enough for it to seem awkward, but then she gave the stranger a wide smile.

"Yes, I suppose it is." She said as she made her way past him. Thinking of this incident as nothing more than one of those odd moments life gives you to remind you that you are indeed alive, and for good reason. Always.

* * *

**This was a little taster of what I've been cooking up. It's a story about Mamma and Pappa strawhat based in our world in the 80's. Ghettoblasters, big hair and mad rad overall style. It'll be a story from mostly Robin's point of view, but I plan on writing some thoughts coming from Mr. Super as well. **

**I hoped it was enjoyable to all who read it and I hope to hear some feedback. If all goes well, the first chapter ought to be posted within the week. I make no promises, but I'll do my best.**

**~Snikee**


	2. Blue haired dancing wonder

**Chapter 1**

**She plays a game with the blue haired dancing wonder...**

**(Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece)**

* * *

**Tonight you're mine, completely. You give your love so sweetly…**

**Tonight the light of love is in your eyes. But will you love me tomorrow?**

She made the first batch of coffee for the day. The sun was finally out after a few straight days of rain and she looked forward to finally getting around to planting her early spring flowers. She smiled while she watched the coffee pot, waiting anxiously for her first fix of the day. She looked over at the bed, he looked like a big lump underneath all those thick covers. He was a big and intimidating man during the day to begin with, why should his presence be perceived otherwise while asleep?

**Is this a lasting treasure or just a moment's pleasure? **

**Can I believe the magic of your sighs?**

**Will you still love me tomorrow?**

He had a bad habit of snoring, quite loudly on top of it. It was no surprise actually, seeing how much he smoked on average. She would have to air out her apartment today, she could still smell the foul stench wherever she walked. Normally she doesn't allow him to smoke inside her apartment, but last night was their three month anniversary and they had gotten quite drunk. Too drunk to even remember just exactly what happened last night actually. She acts so unlike herself when he's around, she's starting to wonder if he's her "rebellious phase". She normally did everything possible to avoid trouble.

She doesn't know how they could have possibly lasted three whole months, when she never intended for it to go past the first week. He seemed sketchy to her from the start. The way he dresses, his other entity as "Crocodile", the seemingly endless pool of money and how he'd always have an ape or two tag along with them whenever they go out. She was definitely not her usual cautious self and it was working on her last nerve. Was this behavior a secret cry for help? Is she secretly yearning for parents to nag and tell her how he's bad news? How she could do better?

She shook her head at the stupid thoughts and poured herself a cup of coffee to bring her back to cruel reality. There were no parents. There were never any parents. Besides her few good friends, she was alone.

**Tonight with words unspoken… You say I'm the only one.**

**But will my heart be broken when the night meets the morning sun?**

**I have to know that your love is a love I can be sure of. So tell me now, and I won't ask again.**

**Will you still love me tomorrow?**

The radio was playing softly in the background. When her alarm went off this morning he hadn't moved a muscle, still snoring away, but yet the sound of Ben E. King singing oddly enough got him stirring.

"Oi! Will you please shut off that racket already?! Damnit!"

She frowned at him. She disliked it when he was rude. He was a rude and vulgar man, so what did she expect? So why did she associate herself with him again?

**Tonight the light of love is in your eyes. But will you lo-**

She shut off the radio and walked right out into her little backyard, slamming the sliding door shut behind her. She could hear his swearing from her bedroom, it wouldn't surprise her if her neighbors could hear it as well. The cool and crisp morning air was refreshing, it didn't matter that she was only wearing a robe. The warmth of the sun made up for the cold air. She sipped her coffee and leaned against the wall of her apartment. This was what she needed, a moment to herself, just a moment. She closed her eyes and started to let the euphoria of life sink in.

"Robin… ROBIN. Where the hell are you?!"

_That didn't last long… _

She rolled her eyes and took another slow sip of her coffee. She cautiously eyed the sliding door, waiting and seeing if he was going to come out any time soon. Or if he was going to keep yelling like a lunatic in her apartment. She waited in silence for a moment longer before it became clear to her that he had picked the latter. Lunging her body forward, she strolled casually toward the sliding door and faced the mess that was her life head on. She kept a straight face when she found him still in bed. It didn't look like he had moved an inch, or that he was planning on moving any time soon.

"Hey, I was calling you. You hear me?" He said while sitting upright, the scars on his chest no longer covered by the sheets.

"I didn't." She answered nonchalantly and took a sip while her eyes looked around her bedroom. Clothes everywhere, her precious books knocked off her desk, his cigar box and lighter on her bedside table next to a few lines of cocaine. Her head twitched and she choked on her coffee as her brain processed what her eyes had just witnessed. Cocaine? Why was there cocaine in her apartment?

"What's wrong with you?" He asked when her coughing ceased and she regained some composure. His eyes went over to where hers was and spotted his cigar box.

"Finally found it. You mind if I light one up?" It didn't seem like he intended to wait for her answer since he already had a cigar in his mouth and was playing with the lighter trying to get the thing to light up. Whatever composure she had regained was lost the minute her eyes caught sight of the lines of white powder again. Horrified, she clutched her robe tightly and headed straight for the bathroom, ignoring his yelling at her for her to come back. She inspected herself in the mirror and checked her pupils for signs of cocaine use, even if there was no possibility of her still being high at this hour. She shook her head and turned on the shower, quickly disrobing and started scrubbing herself clean. She barely heard him knocking on her bathroom door.

"Will ya relax? You didn't snort anything last night, so calm the hell down."

She didn't answer him, but after getting out of the shower she wrapped herself in a towel and put on the same expressionless mask she always did. She finally addressed him when she opened the door and saw him in her tiny kitchen.

"I have to go to work, so please leave and please take 'that' with you if you would be so kind."

She turned and headed straight for her walk-in closet, grabbing her phone and dragging along its cord on the way, not planning on coming out until she was certain he was out of her apartment.

"Hey Nami, sorry for calling so early but would you like to go shopping? Yeah right now…"

* * *

**Risin' up back on the street****. ****Did my time, took my chances****. **

**Went the distance now I'm back on my feet****. ****Just a man and his will to survive..****.**

His boomblaster was at full volume as the crowd of kids cheered him on, some were joining him as he danced to the most popular song on the radio at the moment. It looked like they were all having fun, enjoying the music. Not a care in the world… **  
**

**It's the Eye of the Tiger,****it's the thrill of the fight****.**** Rising up to the challenge of our rival.****  
And the last known survivor****stalks his prey in the night.****And he's watching us all****with the Eye of the Tiger.****  
**

Just 10 minutes ago he was collecting cardboard boxes and piling them up on his little cart. From her seat on the patio of the coffee shop across from the crowd, she peered at him secretly every time she took a sip of coffee from her mug. He was no doubt the colorful character who liked feeding the birds in front of her building in the morning. Did he ever stop dancing? Could it be that drugs had permanently messed up his brain that he had achieved an everlasting high? Though he didn't look like a crack head. She shook her head as she was painfully reminded of this morning. She emptied out the last of her coffee in the big round mug and started feeling a little restless.

**Face to face, out in the heat****hangin' tough, stayin' hungry.****They stack the odds till' we take to the street.**

**For we kill with the skill to survive****.**

"Hey Robin, I think you've had enough coffee for today. You don't look right. Did something happen between you and Mr. Bigshot last night?" She asked looking bored as she grasped her straw with her tongue, sipping up her strawberry milkshake.

"Please Nami, stop calling him that."

She looked around to make primarily sure that nobody she knew was around and that nobody was able to hear their conversation over the loud music across the plaza.

Risin' up straight to the top

**had the guts, got the glory.****Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop****.****  
Just a man and his will to survive****.**

"I found a few lines of cocaine on my nightstand today…" She said with a straight face and a low voice. Her eyes glued to the blue haired dancing wonder across the street. As expected, the straw fell out of her open mouth as she was registering what Robin had just said. She shot Nami an eye, telling her not to make a scene about this. She knew Nami enough to know she could get very loud when upset. Thankfully she got the hint, but started whispering harshly at her.

"I suspected that maybe you would go a little wild while you were with that… that guy. But he's corrupted you so much that you're doing cocaine now?!"

"I didn't do any of it." She assured her friend, all the while a little voice in her head reminded her that that statement was based on what he had told her. She had no real proof of it. She was assuming that everything was alright since physically she was feeling normal and she had absolutely no desire to snort anything at the moment. She looked over at Nami, she could tell by her expression that she wasn't completely convinced.

"Really, I'm fine. Besides, I'm going over to his place tonight breaking it off with him. I think I've finally outgrown my rebellious phase." She admitted with her trademark smile. Nami kept the same thoughtful expression as she once again captured the straw with her tongue and took a long sip.

"If you say so…"

The both of them turned their attention to the crowd suddenly scattering about as the sound of police sirens interrupted their little dance fest. The blue haired man just looked a little annoyed that his dancing was interrupted and quietly turned off the boomblaster and put it on his cart, rolling it away along with a couple of cardboard boxes.

* * *

Darkness was all she could see, it clouded her judgment and made her lose her composure. She stood there looking at his 1962 Thunderbird, his precious little car. The anger from a few moments came flashing back to her. The woman, the ridiculous smirk on his face, the other woman, the cigar smoke fogging up his living room, the third woman on his lap…

"Well if it isn't Robin baby, how's about you come and join us? It's gonna be a hell of a party, right ladies?"

She shuddered by just remembering that. It could have just ended like that and she would be on her merry way home, 200 pounds of useless boyfriend lighter, but it was parked on the way to the nearest bus stop. She just couldn't help but stop and look at it. She had never felt so humiliated in her life and had stormed out of his place without a word, not dignifying his question with an answer. She stood there and stared at the car in silence with an unreadable expression.

After a moment she tilted her head to the side and noticed something, there seemed to be a tiny little bug sleeping on the windshield of his car… It might not be a bad idea to do him this favor and squash it for him as a goodbye present. Her expression turned somewhat serious as she looked around for something to complete the task at hand. Despite the darkness her eyes didn't let her down and soon enough she spotted a wrench resting on the backseat of his own car. She took it into her hand and got into position.

"Don't do it." On instinct, she had heard the footsteps before the sound of his voice reached her ears but she wasn't thinking straight or else she would have normally tried to hide herself. She turned to look at who interrupted her and instantly recognized the styled blue hair and Hawaiian shirt. It was the blue haired dancing wonder.

"I beg your pardon, but this is none of your business."

"Well technically it isn't yet, but as soon as that wrench right there lands on that windshield over there, you'll be making me into a witness to destruction of private property." There it was, there was no denying it. His words was the mirror she needed to see right now, a reflection of herself right now. She was about to commit a crime just because that worthless man had insulted her. Her usual composure had failed her and all she wanted was to crawl into bed and never come out of it again. She tossed the wrench aside and silently turned and started heading toward the nearest bus stop. There were a set of footsteps following hers so she assumed he was heading in the same direction as her, possibly to the bus as well.

"So hey, I see you around all the time. In front of the New World building but a lot more at the coffee place near the library. The name's Franky, it's a pleasure."

"Pleasure." She said curtly. She was only concentrating on getting home, it was all she wanted.

"So you're not gonna tell me your name eh? Don't tell me you're going to make me guess. It'll be a super challenge but I'll get it eventually, you'll see."

She flashed her trademark smile and nodded politely at him. Silently and tiredly accepting his challenge. She could spot the bus stop and the bus coming in the distance.

"Anna?"

"Louise?"

"No? How about Kate?"

"Definitely Sarah. Ehh? No?"

"Joan."

"Hey, you're not lying to me are you?"

She smiled and shook her head one last time before the doors of the bus opened up for her. She could still hear him shouting names from outside the passengerless vehicle. She guessed he wasn't taking the bus after all. A part of her felt a little disappointed, he had lifted her spirits a little with his silly little game and wished to continue it a little longer.

"Okay last one for tonight, I'm betting it all on this super guess. NICOLE!" From the window she could see how he raised his tattooed arms in the air for dramatic effect. A little giggle escaped her throat when she saw the hopeful look on his face.

"Close!" She shouted through the open window as the bus was leaving.

"SUUUPER!" The last thing she saw was him striking a weird looking pose while yelling out that one word. No matter how she tried, she couldn't get rid of the silly smile on her face for the rest of the night.

* * *

**That was the first chapter, I hope I've lived up to some of your expectations. **

**Yes, the dbag is indeed Sir Crocodile. It was supposed to be Zoro at first, but I have too much love for Zoro so I couldn't go through with it. **

**Here are the song lyrics used for this chapter:  
****Will you still love me tomorrow? - Ben E. King  
Eye of the Tiger - Surviver**

**Please be kind and review me! I'll be kind in return :3**

**~Snikee**


	3. Rockin' Robin

**Chapter 2**

**Rockin' Robin.**

**(Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece)**

* * *

"Did you hear? Little miss darkness is up for that promotion. I wouldn't be surprised if she was secretly blowing the boss."

"Well I heard that she was already spreading her legs for that Crocodile guy. You know? The one guy who was climbing up the ranks in the mafia. He's said to be running the city by the end of the decade… That or dead."

"Well he probably got one of his gorilla's to threaten the boss into giving her that promotion, the boss is nothing but a kid fresh out of high school anyway…" The three women started cackling like witches at this last statement. Their teased hair remained immobile and their gigantic, and probably heavy, earrings flopped away in their earlobes as they continued their fit of hysterical laughter. All Robin could do was stand there next to the kitchen doorway holding onto the coffee cup she had hoped to fill up as she listened to the gossip about her being spread around the office.

She almost broke the poor mug when she heard that they knew she had been involved with Crocodile. _How could they know that? Nobody was supposed to know about that._ She had made sure that whenever they went out it would be nowhere where she would be recognized by anyone she knew and tried to the best of her abilities not to stand out. Although that was hard when you were with a guy like the notorious sir Crocodile.

"Hey Robin! Congratulations on getting that promotion! You work hard enough, so you deserve it!" Usopp's loud and excited voice echoed loud enough to have the gossiping trio in the kitchen shushing each other.

"Thanks Usopp." She said as calmly as she could, she had undoubtedly been caught spying now. There was no point in hiding her presence anymore. She managed to force a smile at the sincere looking Usopp as he continued his walk to the boss' office. He had been carrying a heavy load of papers that surely couldn't be meant for Luffy to read. It was likely Usopp would wind up reading them himself as he was Luffy's assistant.

She bravely rounded the corner and entered the kitchen where the three women dressed in bright colors were blocking the coffee machine.

"Excuse me ladies, I would like to get some coffee." She said calmly to the lot. After getting a few nasty looks and eye rolls, they finally moved their high heeled feet and headed out the door. Back into the jungle to further spread the rumors of her being a common whore. She turned and reached for the handle of the coffee pot only to find out it had been empty. _Just what I needed…_

She had no choice but to go back into the jungle without her sustenance.

It was Friday afternoon and it was a few hours before the clock would strike 5, indicating the start of the weekend. The entire staff was eagerly awaiting the annual 'new publishing year' party the publishing company threw as a means for more publicity for their recent published works. All of the new books from the past year would be proudly displayed and reintroduced into the public before they assumed their final position in the back of the book stores and replaced by the newer books.

It was a unique way of doing things, but that was exactly what the head of publishing was. A unique man who, no matter how hard one tried, would never fully be understood. Monkey D. Luffy had inherited the publishing company and is frankly never around to actually run it, but one thing is certain… He loved these parties. And this spring's party was a costume party.

She had no intention of going to the party before, and now she was certainly not going to even leave the house. By tonight the entire office was going to know about her promotion, her involvement with Crocodile and who knows what else. She had had enough humiliation for one day already. Giving up on the coffee, she headed back out the door and back to her little cubicle. At least she had something to look forward to, a new corner office with a view. A vast improvement from the cramped little cubicle and nothing but the typewriter to keep her company.

On the way out of the kitchen, she almost bumped into a bouncing Luffy who must have been back from a very long lunch break. The filled pockets of his pants gave away that lunch had done little to satisfy his monstrous hunger.

"Hi Robin! What are you going to be dressed as for the party tonight? My costume is a surprise shishishishi!"

"Oh, uhm I wasn't feeling well so I think I might skip out on this one. I've found an interesting book abo-"

"You're going!" With a pout he had rudely interrupted her excuse.

"I beg your pardon?" She questioningly looked back at him, wondering if he was being serious or not.

"You weren't at the last one. So you used up all the times you're allowed to miss out. It's an order shishishi." He cheekily informed her as he turned around, giving her a thumbs up.

"Party starts at 9! See you there Robin. It'll be fun! Usopp! Turn up the music! It's too quiet here!"

_**Let's dance! Let's sway…**_

He had successfully and without much effort cornered her into going to the party. He might act like a child most of the time, but he was without a doubt her boss. A leader she happily followed. Her aspiration was to one day help lead this company in the right direction to bring more people the joy of great books.

_**Let's dance to the song they're playin' on the radio.**_

_**Let's sway, you could look into my eyes. Let's sway under the moonlight, this serious moonlight.**_

Looks like she was going to need to find a costume by tonight… Not to mention a date.

* * *

_Playboy bunny… Or sexy cop…_

This was all that was left in the store. She put the last of the available options back on the rack and headed to the back of the store to see if they at least had any suitable masks, seeing as they had no suitable costumes. Deep in the back of her mind, she had been hoping that there would be some fantastic ghoulish costumes. An attractive zombie maybe… But it's not even Halloween season and she was already buying a costume at the last possible minute. When she had declared to herself that there was nothing here for her she went looking for the store clerk. He had told her to check out the thrift shop across the plaza. They would probably have something if she was willing to look for it. She quietly exited the store and deducted that the odds of finding a suitable costume to wear were against her at the moment. She could always throw something together herself as well. All she needed was a little bit of imagination, loads of costumes are homemade. It was a pity she couldn't sew….

The minute she walked out of the store, she spied an object flying towards her feet. It looked like a ragged doll who had been chewed on one too many times and surprisingly enough, after the doll landed by her feet there came a little puppy running to come pick it back up. The dog cautiously sniffed at her feet before trusting enough to pick up the little doll.

"Atta boy!" Came the shout from the enormous fountain situated in front of the thrift shop and also right in the middle of the shopping plaza. The dog ran as fast as it could to excitedly deliver the precious object to its master. Robin gazed at the man, now holding the doll again and about to toss it away again, and saw her old blue haired dancing wonder of a friend. His name was Franky if she remembered correctly. _Why is he never wearing suitable pants?_

"Oi! Nico-…. -lette? Am I right?" He gestured to her, he was still nowhere near deciphering her name.

"Nope, still wrong mr. Franky." She smiled back at him, wondering if she ought to tell him her last name was just Nico.

"No? How about…. Niccola, Nicolai, Nichelle? Am I even guessing your first name here?" He responded while lowering his sunglasses and giving her a dubious look.

"My last name." She quietly added as the dog came running back with its precious and slobbery doll.

"And it's just Nico." She quickly added to her last statement.

"Ahh, super nice to see you again 'Just Nico'." He struck another ridiculous pose after that. The dog impatiently looking up at him, waiting for the doll to be tossed again. She giggled softly as she watched him toss the doll once more.

"So I'm back to square one on the first name eh?" She nodded silently and looked wearily at the thrift shop situated behind him. He must have taken notice because he looked back at it as well before giving her a questioning look.

"You got someone you wanna kill in there or something?"

"Not at the moment." Was her calm reply to that.

"Well then why do you look like you want to set the place on fire? If I may ask." The dog came back skipping and breathing heavily. It looked like the little thing was finally tired out.

"It's a long story, I won't bother you with it. Well, I'm off. Have a nice day Franky." When she started walking past him and into the store, she could instinctively feel that he had not given up on the matter and just walked in behind her like it was his business as well. Not giving him the time of day, she didn't question it as she kept moving forward.

"What are you looking for.. Samantha?" He casually asked once he made sure that her intention really wasn't to burn down the building. Who could blame him for his concerns? Last time they met she was about to smash the windshield of a car. He must think she's got anger issues.

"Where's your dog?"

"Was Samantha right? And he's not my dog… Just a little stray I met today. He's probably outside the door waiting."

"It's not Samantha."

_**He rocks in the tree tops all day long . Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song .**_

_**All the little birdies on Jaybird Street love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet.**_

Robin deviously smiled when she heard the song that was playing in the store and wondered if he would be able to guess it by the time the song was over. She started bopping her head along with the song, as she continued browsing. It seemed to her that he was thinking too hard about this.

_**Rockin' robin, rock rock. Rockin' robin. **_

_**Blow rockin' robin. **_

_**'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight. **_

"You never answered me eh… " She continued browsing and doing her best to hint at the song. It was obvious! _Was his brain made out of iron?_

_**Every little swallow, every chick-a-dee. Every little bird in the tall oak tree. **_

_**The wise old owl, the big black crow. Flappin' their wings singing go bird go.**_

_**Rockin' robin, rock rock. Rockin' robin. **_

_**Blow rockin' robin. **_

_**'Cause we're really gonna rock tonight. **_

She grabbed what seemed like an old dancer's outfit from the 60's, the thigh high neon boots included.

"All you'd need is a platinum blonde wig and you'd look just like the real thing y'know? And don't just ignore my question! Uh… uh… K-kathy! Wait I think I already super guessed that one"

_**Pretty little raven at the bird-band stand told them how to do the bop and it was grand. **_

_**They started going steady and bless my soul he out-bopped the buzzard and the oriole.**_

"A costume for a costume party tonight. That is what I'm looking for… And I can't see anything…" She calmly told him.

"Well why didn't you tell me that sooner… uh… uh…" On top of being completely oblivious it seems he had run out of guesses. She wanted to help him a little, he really was trying a little too hard. She turned around abruptly enough and looked him straight in the eye and once again started bopping her head, to the best of her abilities she tried to hide the smile creeping up while she analyzed his face.

_**He rocks in the tree tops all day long. Hoppin' and a-boppin' and singing his song. **_

_**All the little birdies on Jaybird Street love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet.**_

_**Rockin' robin, rock rock. Rockin' robin. **_

Slowly enough he started listening to it and was immediately enlightened.

"You super little devil, and it took you this long to tell me? Your name is Birdie isn't it?" The smile on her face died instantly and she rolled her eyes in resignation. Giving up all hope on this man, she turned around to take another look at the costume she found. She wasn't going to dignify that dumb joke with a response.

"C'mon Robin! That was a super funny joke, admit it!" He said while striking his pose, as well as knocking over a coat stand in the process. After clumsily picking it back up with a few dirty looks from the store owner, he went back to following her. He saw the dubious look on her face as she inspected the outfit. No marks, no stains. The only problem was that it looked a little old, but a good wash could fix that.

"Here's a blonde wig by the way… Roooobiiin." He chuckled a little as he enjoyed how he finally had the right name. She looked at it for a while, the wig was old as well. But other than that it was in decent condition. She dropped her gaze as she remembered this afternoon, the three women talking about her. She never let gossip and rumors ever get to her, but she can't just shake it off this time. She shook her head and put the dress back on the rack, meanwhile receiving questioning looks from Franky.

"It's alright, I don't think I'm going anyway. I'm not in the mood for a party actually."

"Wait what? How come? Parties are super!"

When he never received a reply to that, his brain started hatching something up. He could tell by her expression that there was some reason behind this sudden change of plans. She just wanted to leave and forget all about today. Lose herself in a new book maybe. She will deal with the consequences later-

"I'll go streaking."

"Excuse me?" She almost stuttered.

"If I go streaking across all these stores here in the neighborhood, will you go to the party?"

"No." Was her semi-calm reply. _Was his brain seriously made out of iron?_

"You don't think I can do it! Eh… Fine we'll make it a bet." She remained silent so he decided to continue.

"If I go streaking, and that includes not getting caught by the police of course, you're going to buy that dress and wig and go to that party. Oh! And you're going to take me with you. I need to make sure you're man enough to keep up your part of the bargain." He stretched out his hand and offered it to her. She looked at it as if it were an insult. _Why should he care?_ And did he think she would never honor an agreement?

"You've got a deal." She shook his hand defiantly. Once the deal was made, the devious smile he dawned then almost scared her. His expression was dead serious as he handed her his sunglasses.

"Super… Here, I need you to hold onto this for me."

* * *

**Hi! So sorry it took so long to update, my bad. Problems with health post-surgery, school and all, but I'm doing my best to update these stories as regularly as I am able to. Thank you so much for the responses I've gotten as well. It makes me so happy!**

**Here are the songs I've used, if it wasn't already obvious :P**

**Let's dance- David Bowie  
Rockin' Robin- Michael Jackson**

**All right, please let me know what you think. Be good and make the author happy with a review :)**

**~Snikee**


	4. Shower

**Chapter 3**

**"Shower"**

**Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece**

* * *

_Boy had he made good on his threat…_

He went streaking in the mall and even decided to throw in a number while standing on a bench. At first she could not believe her eyes, immediately after they decided on a meeting point for their bet he calmly walked out of the store and threw the door wide open and started beatboxing as loud as he could. Robin couldn't help but admire his talent for it as he hopped onto a bench near the fountain. She, along with the store clerk, were in a stunned silence as they watched him slowly gather the attention of a crowd before he started signing.

_**Billie Jean is not my lover. She's just a girl who claims that I am the one. **_

_**But the kid is not my son. She says I am the one, but the kid not my son.**_

Along with the signing he was moving his hips to the left and then to the right as if he was dancing to the music in his head. The crowd was reacting very positively to him before he suddenly tore off his shorts like a male stripper would. If the shock hadn't left her brain with less functionality that usual, she would have paid more attention to the faces in the crowd. There was surely more than one face in there that went from a content smile rocking out to the beat he created, to one of utter horror as male privates started dancing along in their line of vision.

"Awww yeaaaah! Oh! Oh!" Franky shouted to the crowd as he had the sheer audacity to put his hand over his crotch and start thrusting in the air. The screams from the crowd, half cheering him on and the other half screams of horror, were enough to alarm more people in the vicinity. Before any of them would warn the mall security, he made a dash for an open area without any place to corner him.

Robin was now waiting for him at the meeting point with the costume bought and in a plastic back hanging from her wrist. She was leaning on a wall in an alleyway between a drug store and a post office. There was cardboard littered all over the place and she could spot a few used pots of a variety of paint colors. She observed all this and could only conclude someone around here liked to paint on cardboard. Along with all that, there was the little puppy who had followed her all the way from the thrift shop. He just looked up at her with his tongue out and gave her a questioning face.

"Hungry?" She asked with a smile while reaching into her purse for the packed lunch she never got to eat. It was as if the dog understood what that smile meant, because it automatically began wagging its tail feverously.

…

Meanwhile, a little further up the street, a clothed Franky was walking towards the alley they agreed upon. He was still a bit out of breath from all that running he had to do. He came extremely close to getting caught back there. _Am I getting too old for this or something?_ For being 34, he still acted quite a bit like the troubled teenager he was back when he was still stuck in the system. His youth consisted of him jumping from one Foster family to the next as a child, before the period Tom had taken him in. After Tom had passed, his lack of suitable guardianship had caused for him to get thrown into the system again as a teenager. At the moment, he'd rather not think about how everything just went steeper downhill for him after turning 18…

Luckily for him a feminine laughter had distracted him enough to forget about reminiscing the past he'd rather forget. It was one of the prettiest sounds he had heard in his life. He followed the sweet sound to the alleyway he was supposed to meet Robin and stopped in his tracks before he could make his presence known by either Robin or the dog. It helped that her back was turned to him. She was petting the animal with one hand as the other held a small container with sliced apples the dog was trying to eat out of. Letting out a small, barely audible giggle here and there every time the dog would lick over her hand. At this point he was plainly staring at her like a dummy. He even had a pink tint to his cheeks on top of it.

"How long are you going to stare at us for?" She said slyly without even looking back at him. She straightened her legs and slowly turned around to look at him. The look in her eyes were not like any look a girl has ever given him. She sure as hell was no lovesick teenager looking for the love of her life, but a very secure woman who was not looking for anyone to depend on. _Now that's what I call a babe._

"I wasn't staring silly. Besides, if I was then it's your own fault for being so good lookin'." He winked at her with that last statement and she rolled her eyes, like she was trying to say that she heard that one before. _Super not cool Franky. _Was what he thought to himself.

"Here." She handed him a brown paper bag, as if he was already supposed to know what was in it. When he finally concluded that she was not going to give in and tell him what he was, he stuck a hand in and pulled out whatever it was. What he pulled out was a red cape.

"Great, I always super wanted one." He told her sarcastically while raising an eyebrow. She smiled wickedly as she reached into her purse and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.

"Put that on and meet me at this address at half past eight tonight." She said while she scribbled on the piece of paper. Upon receiving the little note, he frowned a bit when he saw that it did not include a phone number as he had hoped it would.

* * *

Her doorbell buzzed once and she had to painfully rip herself away from her book. After she had returned home, she calculated that she had an hour of reading time left before needing to start getting ready. Not like she had much to do except shower, dress and pin up her hair for the wig she had to put on. And do her make-up as well.

Maybe she should have put aside more time for her preparations now that she thought it through... In her own defense, it wasn't her fault that as soon as she returned home the romance novel she was reading started calling out her name like a sweet and tender lover would.

When the doorbell rang a second time, she had confirmed that she was not imagining things and looked at the clock beside her bed.

**7:20 pm. **

Deducting that it couldn't be Franky already, she finally pulled herself out of her chair and went to see who it was. _Maybe it could be him after all…_

She checked the window as she was accustomed to doing before unlocking her door and once again spotted the same black car with tinted windows parked across the street. She's been seeing that particular car parked there for a week now and it was a bit unsettling to say the least. She then glanced over at the doorstep and the vision of red and blue was all it took to confirm her suspicion as to who was ringing her doorbell. She walked over to the door and finally opened it for her guest.

"Franky. You're a very punctual man I see." She said, trying to hide the annoyance in her tone. She felt the slightest bit of guilt for it as well, as she saw the smile on his face die a little.

"Wait, it's not time yet?" He said before turning to look at the sky, it was clearly passed sundown and the night sky had already dug its dark blue claws into the light blue remnants of the day. She took one long look at him, trying to decipher what he meant with that question, but then gave up because she really was running late at the moment.

"Well whatever, I'm the one that's late actually. Come on in." She said as she stepped aside and opened the door wider for him. He stepped into her apartment and immediately posed, his arms straight up in the air and his knees slightly bent, proudly showing off the big "S" on his chest. She immediately stopped him when he started making his own background trumpet noises.

"Eh? You're not very musical are you?" He mumbled before continuing with a thank you for the costume. "Thanks for the costume Nico Robin, it was definitely the most super thing out there for me!"

"I'm glad you like it Franky." She said as she closed the door and pulled some of the curtains near it shut.

"Eh… You're not even dressed, how early am I exactly?" He asked as he scratched the top of his head. She took another quick peek at the car across the street before turning to him again.

"It's almost 7:30." She answered calmly as she pulled out the tie in her hair and headed to the kitchen while he followed.

"Okay. Really early then." He walked into the kitchen and took a seat in the chair she had been occupying prior to his arrival.

"I need to start getting ready, make yourself at home I suppose." She said as she headed for the bathroom, picking up a few items along the way. Once he was alone, he mentally beat himself up for showing up so early. He really was trying his best to look like a smooth guy in front of this chick. He huffed and uselessly thought of ways he could have prevented this from happening. He could have walked into a dozen shops just to look at the clocks there, although it would have looked weird with the costume on and all. _If you have no other way, drastic measures need to be taken I suppose._

He looked around the room for something to keep him busy and distracted from his thoughts and saw the open book Robin was reading lying face down on the arm rest of the chair. He wanted to pick it up, but something else caught his eye a second later.

"Hey Robin…" He semi-yelled to the closed bathroom door.

"Yes?" Was the muffled answer from behind the door.

"Can I turn on your radio? This place could use some grooves."

"By all means…"

"Suuuper." He said quietly to himself as he got to business. He turned the knob and started surfing the waves for something good. After a few stations, he settled on the one playing good old rock music.

_**You make me weep, I wanna die… Just when you said we'd try ,**_

_**Lovin', touchin', squeezin' each other… **_

The sound of running water suddenly interrupted the music and he wondered why it took so long for her just to get undressed and in the water. He turned up the music and looked at the door. He noticed there was something not right with it at first glance and he tried to figure it out as half his mind spaced out to the music.

_**When I'm alone all by myself, you're out with someone else… **_

_**Lovin', touchin', squeezin' each other… You're tearin' me apart. **_

_**Oh every, everyday… **_

He looked at the crack of light coming from the door, and for a minute he could swear there was water vapor gently twirling out of the door. _I-is the door open?_ His face went pink and he immediately tried to convince himself otherwise. _Would she really shower with the door open?_

_**You're tearin' me apart…**_

_**Oh girl what can I say? You're tearin' me apart. **_

_**It won't be long girl, till you're alone… When your lover, oh, he hasn't come home. **_

_**Cause he's lovin' oo, he's touchin', he's squeezin' another…**_

He honestly did not think Robin was the type to do that on purpose. She was a pretty direct gal in his opinion, if she wanted to get hot 'n heavy he'd have known that by now. _Right? _

After he had convinced himself that that was indeed the case here,he walked toward the door to see if he could miraculously close it back for her without making a woman's wrath was not something he looked forward to experiencing in the near future.

_**He's tearin' you apart. Oh, every, everyday… He's tearin' you apart. **_

_**Oh girl what can you say? 'Cause he's lovin', touchin' another… **_

_**Now it's your turn, girl to cry.**_

With his best intentions, he pushed the door open a little more to peek and see if she wasn't looking at the door or anything. He couldn't have her suddenly seeing the handle turn out of nowhere. He honestly tried to, very quickly, only look for her face and did his best to avoid seeing anything else. He wanted to avoid looking like a pervert in front of her. With the lightning fast glance inside, he couldn't properly see where her face was looking so he just went ahead and started pulling the door shut. And before he could do it, he heard it. She was humming.

_**Na na na na na na… Na na na na na… Na na na na na na… Na na na na na…**_

It was music to his ears. The sound made him crack a smile and he put his ears closer against the door. He closed his eyes and listened to it. He'd forever give up his radio in exchange for listening to that every morning… Not that he would ever tell anyone that.

_**Na na na na na na… Na na na na na… Na na na na na na… Na na na na na…**_

After that thought, he quickly opened his eyes and woke himself up from that dream. He pulled himself together and pulled the door back as much as he could without having it make that clicking noise.

_**Na na na na na na… Na na na na na… Na na na na na na… Na na na na na…**_

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**Well there's the latest chapter! Be sure to let me know what you thought. Good or bad. **

**And thank you for the reviews from the last chapter! Means a lot!**

**R&R**

**Until next time!**

**~Snikee**


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